A recent analysis of the top 100 banned books from 2000-2009 revealed that most challenged books involved characters and issues reflecting narratives outside of the dominant culture. However, books that reflect diverse narratives represent only a tiny fraction of published books. Are certain stories censored even before they are published, or not published at all? What does diversity mean in literature? Why should you read “diverse books"? Join authors Stacey Lee, Isabel Quintero, Tess Sharpe, and Swati Avasthi, for an exciting panel discussion on the importance of diverse narratives, their current books, and more.

Lindsay Hill reads from his novel, Sea of Hooks. Sea of Hooks was named as The Oregonian's #1 Northwest Book of 2013, one of New York Magazine’s Top 10 Books of 2013, one of Publishers Weekly’s Top 5 Fiction titles of 2013, and a finalist for the 2014 Chautauqua Prize.

Do you ever wonder how authors weave facts into fiction? To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, Lois Leveen discusses the inspirational true story behind her forthcoming novel The Secrets of Mary Bowser, about the African American woman who became a Union spy by posing as a slave in the Confederate White House.

On Sunday, April 10, 2011, an enthusiastic crowd of Devon Monk fans came to hear the author read from her upcoming book and talk about her writing. She started by reading from her soon to be published "Dead Iron: the age of steam", the first book in her new steam punk fantasy series. She then took questions from the audience which included many questions about her ongoing Allie Beckstrom urban fantasy series which takes place in Portland. Her latest book in that series, "Magic on the Hunt", just came out on April 5. (about 72 minutes)

VoiceCatcher presents prose and poetry from its fifth women writers anthology. The work of several contributing authors will be highlighted. VoiceCatcher's mission is to publish an anthology of Portland-area women's writing reflecting a diversity of voice and genre. They offer a local publishing opportunity that respects, nurtures and promotes local artists.

Portland’s walking expert Laura Foster has recently released her latest book, "The Portland Stairs Book: Walks, Views, Stories." Join the author as she shares with you the best and most interesting staircases in Portland. Covering 207 staircases (and 10,155 steps), Foster’s journey combines geology, architecture, history and horticulture to tell the amazing stories of twenty outdoor staircases. The stairs include the Willamette River Bridge Stairs, The Westover Terraces Steps and Rocky Butte’s Grand Staircase. Presented at Hollywood Library January 23, 2011.More information about Laura Foster can be found on her website at:http://www.portlandhillwalks.com/

Every day in the Peace Corps brings a new experience, adventure or lesson. Come listen to journal entries directly from the Peace Corps volunteers who wrote them and pick up your free copy of “A Life Inspired,” a collection of stories written by volunteers (while supplies last). A Peace Corps volunteer who served in Bulgaria will also share her personal experience, answer your questions, and provide tips to guide you through the application process.

Raves about reading Faves @your library. Title Raves: The Great Northwest was an event where people could celebrate their love of reading and local writers. Listen in here for a discussion about who favorite Northwest authors are, what book(s) were read lately and why people liked it.

Leading off the discussion will be a panel of people known around town for their love of reading and books. Sharing their insights about books, writers and writing are:

VoiceCatcher presents prose and poetry from its fourth women writers anthology. The work of six contributing authors will be highlighted. VoiceCatcher's mission is to publish an anthology of Portland-area women's writing reflecting a diversity of voice and genre. They offer a local publishing opportunity that respects, nurtures and promotes local artists.

Bonnie Jo Campbell’s energy and biting wit make her work both brutal and laugh out-loud funny. All is weird, immediate and raw in Campbell’s stories and poems. Bonnie Jo Campbell’s new story collection, American Salvage, was a finalist for the 2009 National Book Award. She is also the author of the novel Q Road, and the story collection Women & Other Animals. She has won the AWP award for short fiction, the 2008 Eudora Welty fiction prize, and a Pushcart prize, and she was named a Barnes & Noble Great New Writer. The New York Times has called her stories "Bitter but sweetened by humor," and Publisher’s Weekly said Campbell details, "domestic worlds where Martha Stewart would fear to tread."

Presented in partnership with Pacific University's Master of Fine Arts in Writing program.

How would you describe Oregon through poetry? Do you have a favorite Oregon poet? Have you written a nature poem about Oregon?Liz Nakazawa, editor of the anthology "Deer Drink the Moon," read from her book, which features the works of 33 esteemed poets of Oregon. She also invited audience members to share their favorite Oregon nature poems.

M.T. Anderson is perhaps best known for his National Book Award and Printz Honor-winning duet, The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation. (Volume 1: The Pox Partyand Volume 2: The Kingdom on the Waves.) Feed, his satire on consumerism and the decline of language, is both critically acclaimed and controversial, and has been challenged in many schools, including some here in the Pacific Northwest. He is also the author of several picture books; a vampire novel, Thirsty, published before the current craze; and a series for younger readers, Pals in Peril, (Whales on Stilts, The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen, and Jasper Dash and the Flame-Pits of Delaware), which satirizes classic children's adventure books.

Youth Services Director Ellen Fader welcomes the audience, Hillsdale Library Teen Council member Ulysses Duckler introduces Mr. Anderson. Among other topics, Anderson's wide-ranging talk touches on writing as a way to travel through time, how the incessant marketing messages directed at teens attempt to convince them that unless they continue buying, they will always be found wanting, and how a writer's dark vision can be a spur for readers to change a broken world.

Three local crafter-writers discuss their writing in the context of the followng questions: 1. How did each of you become crafty authors? 2. What is your best advice for someone who aspires to write a craft book? 3. Name a favorite craft book and/or a local resource for craft supplies. 4. How do you go about searching for interesting craft materials?

Susan Beal is a non-stop crafter and writes the blog, West Coast Crafty. She is the author of Button it Up : 80 Amazing Vintage Button Projects for Necklaces, Bracelets, Embellishments, Housewares & More; Beadsimple : 150 Designs for Earrings, Necklaces, Bracelets, Embellishments, and More : Essential Techniques for Making Jewelry Just the Way you Want It; and Super Crafty : Over 75 Amazing How-to Projects. Diane Gilleland is the author of Kanzashi in Bloom : 20 Simple Fold-and-Sew Projects to Wear and Give, and the blog, CraftyPod. Alicia Paulson is the author of Stitched in Time : Memory-Keeping Projects to Sew and Share and the blog, Posie Gets Cozy. The audience question and answer period is included.

Oregon Reads 2009 is a community reading program that took place in
nearly every public library and in every county in Oregon during the
state's sesquicentennial, January through April of 2009. Apples to Oregon by Deborah Hopkinson was selected as a title for younger readers for
the Oregon Sesquicentennial. In this talk, Hopkinson talks about Oregon's state symbols and what makes a writer. She also shares the stories from her books Apples to Oregon,
Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek, and the forthcoming Stagecoach Sal.

Oregon Reads 2009 is a community reading program that took place in
nearly every public library and in every county in Oregon during the
state's sesquicentennial, January through April of 2009. Bat 6 by Virginia Euwer Wolff was selected as a title for younger readers for the Oregon Sesquicentennial. In this talk, Wolff shares some of her inspirations for the book and illuminates her writing process. At the beginning of this event, a group of sixth grade girls from Metropolitan Learning Center act out a reader's theater presentation excerpted from Bat 6.

Jon Scieszka’s many books have won awards and sold over 11 million copies. Scieszka is also the founder of Guys Read, a nonprofit literacy organization. In 2008 the Library of Congress chose Jon Scieszka to be the first National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, a two-year position in which Scieszka’s mission is to get kids excited about reading. In his lecture, Scieszka talks about the cool stuff he has acquired since becoming an Ambassador, tells stories about his books and his childhood growing up as the second oldest of six brothers, and answers questions from kids in the audience.

An evening with Randy Shaw, author of the new book Beyond the Fields: Cesar Chavez, the UFW, and the Struggle for Justice in the 21st Century . In "Beyond the Fields," Shaw reveals the untold story of how the spirit of "Sí Se Puede" that began with Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers in the 1960s still sets the course for today’s social justice movements. Shaw finds that the influence of Chavez and the UFW has ranged far and wide: in labor campaigns like Justice for Janitors, in the building of Latino political power, in the fight for environmental justice, in the growing national movement for immigrant rights, and even in Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. SEIU Executive Vice-President Eliseo Medina praises Shaw’s book as a "stirring account of how the UFW transformed people’s lives," and LeRoy Chatfield of the Farmworkers Documentation Project says it is a "must read" for former UFW volunteers.

LeAnn Locher writes the popular Portland blog, LeLo in NoPo. She'll talk and share photos of her 3-year experience of creating and growing her blog, how it began as a personal journey and self exploration, and what she found along the way. Blogging creates connections to people, issues, cultures, and even social change, and has led to real-world connections, clients, and friends. She'll share a case study of blogging a topic that grew into a quick community action, with a flurry of news throughout the blogosphere and local media outlets. With writers now blogging and bloggers now writing, is there a place for the two to meet?

Kristian Williams, a journalist and a member of Rose City Copwatch, is the author of Our Enemies in Blue: Police and Power in America and American Methods: Torture and the Logic of Domination. Jules Boykoff teaches political science at Pacific University in Forest Grove and is the author of Beyond Bullets: The Suppression of Dissent in the United States. The authors discuss their books and answer questions from the audience.